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Ladies League Baseball

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After the 1992 movie A League of Their Own, a film based on the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, the Ladies Professional Baseball League, also known as the Ladies League Baseball, was founded in 1997.[citation needed] The first five teams in the league were the San Jose Spitfire, San Francisco Bay Sox, Long Beach Aces, Phoenix Peppers and Los Angeles Legends.[1][2] It was the first professional women's baseball league to operate in the U.S. since the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League ceased operations in 1954.

Ladies League Baseball
SportBaseball
Founded1997
Folded1998
CountryUnited States

1997 Season

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In the 1997 season, the league initially consisted of five teams: the San Jose Spitfire, San Francisco Bay Sox, Long Beach Aces, Phoenix Peppers and Los Angeles Legends. Midway through the season, the league merged together the Spitfire and Bay Sox due to issues with completing their rosters, with the Spitfires absorbing the Bay Sox in the merger.[3] In the league's championship the San Jose Spitfires defeated the Los Angeles Legends.[4] Janelle T. Frese of the Los Angeles Legends won the Ladies League Baseball "Most Outstanding Pitcher" award for the 1997 season.[5]

In 1997 the Long Beach Aces played at Blair Field in Long Beach, California, the home of the Long Beach State University baseball program. They were coached by Don Barbara, former professional player and assistant coach at Sacramento State. Barbara played at Long Beach State and was a Dirtbag assistant coach, later becoming the head recruiter and hitting coach at Sacramento State.

The Aces were also coached by Joe Magno, who assumed the role of Aces bench coach. Magno was a scout with the Cincinnati Reds and later became a minor league bench coach for the Western Baseball League champion Long Beach Breakers in 2001. Magno's coaching career started as an assistant coach at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, and continued at Long Beach State, where he ran the Dirtbags showcase camps from 1995 to 1997. Magno later coached high school baseball at Mayfair High School in Lakewood, California.

Expansion

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In 1998, the league expanded and changed its name to the Ladies Professional Baseball League. The league expanded eastward by adding teams in Buffalo, New York, and Augusta, New Jersey, and moving the Los Angeles Legends to Homestead, Florida. The newly expanded league planned a 56-game schedule starting in July and ending in September.[1]

Cancellation

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The Ladies Professional Baseball League canceled its second season after only 12 games were played. Michael Ribant, league president and founder, blamed low fan turnout. The average attendance was less than 500 per game. The projected losses for the 1998 season became too great, and the league folded.[6]

Teams

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References

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  1. 1 2 "All-American Girls Professional Baseball League Players Association". Archived from the original on 2010-09-17. Retrieved 2010-01-03.
  2. ↑ HANANIA, JOSEPH; GLIONNA, JOHN M. (11 July 1997). "Different Diamonds : New 5-Team Baseball League Will Try to Give Women Their Place to Shine". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  3. ↑ Metcalfe, Jeff (18 July 1997). "Ladies League Baseball trims clubs, schedule". Arizona Republic. p. 20. Retrieved 6 June 2026.
  4. ↑ "Women in Baseball history". Archived from the original on 2010-01-15. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
  5. ↑ "Where the Legends Meet". Authorsden.com. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  6. ↑ [dead link]
  7. ↑ "Mom's Tough Call: Play Ball, or Pass?".
  8. ↑ "Elysian Fields Quarterly - the Baseball Review".
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